Process of manufacturing mineral wool.



T. B. PARKISON.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING MINERAL WOOL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10, I908.

Patented Jan. 4, 1910.

"SQ-under,

qwi/lime ooco mentous slag acts to elongate,

THOMAS BRADY PABKISON,

OF MUNCIE, INDIANA,[SSIGNDB Tb UNION FIBRE GOMEANY, 0F WINONA; MINNESOTA, A COBZBQRATION OF MINNESOTA.

rnocnss or MANUFACTURING MINERAL woo-L.

To all whom it may concern:

"Be it known that I, "Inonms B. Pannison, a citizen of the United States, residing at Muncie, in the county of Delaware and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Process of Manufacturing Mineral Wool, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a process of'manuffacturing mineral wool, the same being an improvement on the process described in Patent, No. 779,307, granted *to me on the third day of January, 1905, wherein the molten slag or scoria as it comes from the cupola is forced into a blow tube, and is then brought into intimate contact with hot vapors and .smoke from a furnace, which commingling of the smoke and the hot filasoften and toughen the fibers of the mineral wool and completely convert the slag into filaments, the slag-being otherwise only partially converted and being partially solidified into the form of beads.

The object of the present invention is to render Water-proof the mineral wool for-med in the manner described, by coating the fibers or-filaments of the wool with a thin layer of .oil, thus not only water-proofing the fiber, but rendering the fibers of the mineral wool more adhesive and clinging so that when they are finally felted or intermingled with the fibers of flax, pa er stock, etc., as described in Patents os. 811,227, 683,208 and 688,420, and in my pending application Serial No. 510,670, filed July 31, 1909, to form insulating boards or blocks, the material so formed will have a closer consistency and greater cohesion than when not so previously coated with oil.

A further object is to not only waterproof and render the fibers adhesive, as already described, but also to soften and anneal the fibers, materially lengthen them,

' and give extra tensile strength thereto by subjecting them in their passage from the steamblast to the blow tube to the smoke of vaporized hydrocarbon, thus accomplishing the water-proofing and annealing in one operation, and intimately intermingling the hydrocarbon with the fiber.

The mineral wool treated as above described, isparticularly applicable for use in the. rocess for forming insulating boards andv locks described in my pendingapplication above referred to, but I do not wish Specification of Letters Patent. Patgnted Jan, Application :filed'Novemher do, 1908. .Serial Roi AGhMS.

to be'limited to'this application of my invention, as the Water-proofed fibers may be used for any purpose to which they are applicable without departing from the spirit thereof.

="In =the accom-panymg drawings :l*igure 1 isa-side elevation of an apparatus whereby any improved process may be'carried into effect. Fig. 2 is a detail section-of the petroleum or other hydrocarbon sprinkler or distributer.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the drawings, "1 designates a cupola furnace of any ordinary or available type, 2jtlhe slag-outlet, and 3 a blast nozzle opening slightly below the outlet 2, the air or steam "blast from which .proj sets the stream of molten-slag through a blow tube or cylinder- 4 into a settlin chamber, not shown.

The elements a ove described are well known inthe process of making mineral wool, but in addition thereto, I provide means whereby the smoke from a heavy crude hydrocarbon oil, such as crude pe-' troleum or like hydrocarbon products, shall be intimately projected into and permeate the mass of molten or incandescent fibers as they are blown through the blow tube l; and I also preferably provide means whereby the hydrocarbon 011 shall be brought into contact with the molten slag or scoria while still in a highly =heated"condition, thus vaporizing the oil, the residue or smoke of the vaporized hydrocarbon being thus brought into intimate contact with theexterior surfaces of the flying filaments of molten slag and thoroughly coating the same. In order to attain'this step of my process, I. may use various means, but I illustrate for this purpose a pipe 5 leading from a tank 6 provided wlth a supply pipe 7 and containing petroleum or other preferably heavy, crude hydrocarbons. The lower end of the pipe 6 is provided with any suitable means of distributing the oil in small streams or dro s upon the jet' of molten slag, such as t 1e perforated pipe or tee 8- illustrated in detail 1n Fig. 2, wherein the dotted circles indicate the jet. I

It will be seen that by introducing the oil into the molten sla prior to its entrance into the blow tube an while it is in flight or transit, the oily smoke generated by the incandescent slag through the. combustion of the oil will be inclosed Within the blow tube, and will therefore more completely impregnate the mass of filamentous material.

\Vhile the vaporizing and carbonizing of the oil by means of the molten or incandescent slag is desirable, I do not wish to be limited to this, as it is within my inventionto generate this hydrocarbon vapor and to produce carboniz ation of the vapor in any other manner-desired and to bring this carbonized vapor into-contact with the blast of slag while in flight or transit at any oint between the openingof the cupola an the exit of the slag through the blow tube. It is also to be understood that any form of apparatus may be employed for carrying out this process suitable for the purpose; that by the term slag, is intended to embrace any substance or material from which mineral or rock wool is or may be produced; and that while the mineral wool produced by the process above described is referred to as being particularly applicable for use in making insulating blocks, boards etc., as described in In pending application, I do not of course Wish. to be limited to this application of the product, but reserve the right to modify or vary the described process or its application at will within the scope of the protection prayed.

Having thus fully dcscribedmy invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: V

1. A process for the production .of water proof. mineral wool, which-consists in projecting a blast of molten slag .in the form of highly heated filaments and subjecting the same to the act-ion of oil whereby each individual filament is coated therewith.

2. A process for the production of waterproof mineral-wool, which consists in proecting molten slag in the form'ofv highly heated filaments, and subjecting said filaments while being so projected and'while so heated to the action of a liquid hydrocarbon. 4

. 3. A process for the production of waterroof mineral wool, which consists in subecting a blast of molten slag While in transit to the action of vaporized hydrocarbon oil and smoke generated by the contact of said oil with a blast of, molten slag.

4.. A. process-for the production of water- "proof mineral. wool,wh1ch consists in bringproof mineral wool, w ieh consists in pro jecting a blast of hot slag or scoria and subjecting the projected material in transitto the action of smoke from burnin oil in front of said blast, whereby each in ividual filament is coated with oil.

7. A process for the production ofwater proof mineral wool, which consists in projecting the hot slag 0r scoria, and spraying a liquid hydrocarbon thereon while in transit.

8. A process for the production of waterproof mineral wool, which consists in projecting the molten slag or scoria by a blast, and spraying liquid hydrocarbon thereon immediately in front of said blast.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the resence of two witnesses. T

THO AS BRADY PARKISON. Witnesses:

WILLIAM M. OVERMIRE,

LULA B. ADAMS.

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